Can opener



CAN OPENER E. A. CAMPBELLv Filed Nov. 5, 1954 March 29, 1955 f f /Z INVENTOR v Eg. C'a m/U [rez Z BY W )l a. '/l

' ATTORNEY United States Patent O CAN OPENER Earl A. Campbell, Owosso, Mich.

Application November 5, 1954, Serial No. 467,114

6 Claims. (Cl. Sil-6.1)

This invention relates to a novel can opener for forming a vent opening and a pouring opening in an end wall of a can.

More particularly, it is an aim of the present invention to provide a novel can opener of simple construction having a piercing element for forming a vent opening and which will function for attaching the can opener to the can so that the pouring opening can thereafter be cut in the can by a swinging movement of the can opener relative to the can.

Still a further object of the invention is to provide a novel can piercing member for forming a substantially V-shaped pouring opening adjacent a rim portion of a can end and which will enable a cutting of the can end to form the pouring opening with a minimum of manual effort being required.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a can opener capable of forming a pouring opening of substantially V-shaped form and which tapers in width toward an adjacent edge or rim portion of the can end to provide a pouring outlet which increases in width away from the bottom part thereof, to provide for an even pouring flow of the liquid contents from a can.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter become more fully apparent from the following description of the drawing, illustrating a presently preferred embodiment thereof, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevational View of the can opener;

Figure 2 is a bottom plan view thereof, and

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevational view, partly in section, showing the can opener in an applied position relative to an end of a can.

Referring more speciiically to the drawing, the can opener in its entirety and comprising the invention is designated generally 5 and comprises an elongated rigid bar 6 and a pair of piercing members, designated generally 7 and 8.

The elongated rigid bar 6 is preferably formed of metal and includes an elongated substantially straight and at intermediate portion 9. One end of the bar 6 is bent to form a relatively large loop constituting a handle 10. The other end of the bar 6 constitutes a relatively at and short terminal portion 11 which is disposed substantially parallel to and downwardly offset from the intermediate portion 9. A substantially straight oblique portion 12 of the bar 6 connects an inner end of the terminal portion 11 to the adjacent end of the intermediate portion 9.

'Ille piercing member 7 comprises a prong preferably of substantially circular cross section having a substantially straight inner end portion 13, as best seen in Figure 3, which is provided with a substantially at base end 14 which abuts against a part of the underside of the bar portion 9. A rivet or shank 15, preferably of noncircular cross section, projects from the base portion 14 through an opening 16 of the bar portion 9 and is spread so that said rivet or shank 15 diminishes in cross sectional size toward the base end 14 for securing it in the bar opening 16 to thus secure the piercing element 7 immovably to the bar 6. The piercing element 7 is located adjacent the bar end 11. The piercing element 7 includes an outer portion 17 which is curved in a direction toward the bar end 11 and which tapers to a point 18 at the terminal thereof.

The piercing member 8 is substantially triangular shape in cross section and includes a relatively large substan- 2,704,885 Patented Mar. 29, 1955 tially flat base end 19 which abuts ush against another part of the underside of thebar portion 9 and which is secured thereto by a rivet or shank 20 of noncircular cross section which extends through and tits snugly in an opening 21 of the bar portion 9. The rivet or shank 20 is spread so that it tapers in cross sectional size toward the base end 19 for securing the piercing member 8 immovably to the underside of the bar portion 9. The piercing member 8 is preferably of solid construction, as seen in Figure 3, and is provided with two outer sides 22 which converge away from the piercing member 7 and toward the handle 10 to form an elongated edge 23 which extends from the inner to the outer end of the piercing member 8 and which is disposed substantially perpendicular to the bar portion 9, as best seen in Figures l and 3. Ihe other, inner side 24 of the piercing member 8, which faces toward the piercing prong 7, extends between the other corresponding side edges 25 of said member 8. The edges 25 are laterally spaced relative to one another and with respect to the bar portion 9. Said edges 25 extend from the base end 19 at an angle in a direction away from the piercing prong 7 and converge at their outer ends with one another and with the outer end and the edge 23 to form a sharpened point 26 at the opposite outer end of the piercing member 8. As seen in each of the views, the inner side 24 is concavely recessed both transversely and longitudinally thereof between its side edges 25 to cooperate with portions of the converging walls 22 to form relatively thin edges 25 which are ground and sharpened to provide cutting edges. Thus, the piercing member 8 has a piercing point 26 and two sharpened cutting edges 25 which converge inwardly and away from the point 26. Additionally, the outer edge 23 constitutes a cutting edge. It will also be noted that the curved and tapered outer portion 17 of the piercing prong 7 extends in a direction away from the piercing member 8 and forms a hook member, as will hereinafter be described.

Figure 3 illustrates the upper portion of a can including a part of the side wall 27 thereof and the upper end wall 28, said parts being shown in section. The end Wall 28 is shown with a marginal rim or beading which is folded and secured to the upper end of the side wall 27, as seen at 29. In utilizing the can opener 5, the handle 10 may be grasped in either hand while the other hand is utilized to hold the can to be opened immovably. The inclined bar portion 12 is positioned against a part of the outer side of the beading or rim 29 of the top of the can, as seen in Figure 3, and the point 18 of the piercing prong 7 is disposed to rest upon a part of the can top 28, adjacent the rim portion 29 engaged by the bar portion 12. When the can opener is thus disposed, the bar portion 9 extends upwardly at an incline from the rim portion 29 engaged by the part 12 and over the can top 28, as seen in Figure 3. The operator by then exerting a downward pressure on the handle 10 in a direction longitudinally of the bar portion 9, will cause said bar 6 to be displaced downwardly and to the left as seen in Figure 3 for causing the point 18 to pierce the can top 28 and to cause the hole which is thus initially formed to be enlarged by the tapered prong portion 17 entering downwardly through the can top 28. After the can top has thus been pierced and the prong point 18 is disposed within the can and beneath the can top 28, a pressure is exerted downwardly on the handle 10 and in a direction to the right as seen in Figure 3, for causing the bar 6 to swing clockwise from its full line toward its dotted line position of Figure 3. During this movement, the can opener 5 fulcrums about the top of the can due to the engagement of the hook shaped portion 17 of the prong 7 in the vent opening 30 which has been formed in the can top 28. As the bar 6 swings toward its dotted line position of Figure 3 the prong 7 continues to be advanced downwardly through the opening 30 for enlarging said opening. The piercing members 7 and 8 are spaced a proper distance apart so that as the bar portion 9 approaches a position parallel to the can top 28, the point 26 will contact the can top 28 adjacent another part of the rim portion 29 which is located substantially opposite to the rim portion 29, adjacent which the piercing prong 7 is disposed. A further downward pressure on the handle will then cause the piercing point 26 to pierce the can top 28 and as the bar portion 9 continues to move downwardly the cutting edges 25 will'cut a V-shape slice through the can top 28 the cuts made by the edges 254 will be continued and increased in length and at the same time the outer cutting edge 23 will cut the can top further toward the rim portion 29, adjacent to which it is disposed. As the cuts made by the edges 25 are elongated, the portion 31 of the can top 28 which is disposed therebetween and between the edges 25 will contact the concave inner side 24 of the member 8 and will be bent downwardly and inwardly away from the adjacent portion of the can wall 27. When the bar portion 9 has come to rest on the rim portion 29, adjacent the cutting member 8, the cut made by said member 8 will have been completed and the piercing prong 7 will have completed its enlargement of the vent opening 30 and will have assumed its dotted line position of Figure 3 with its point 18 disposed Within the can and spaced slightly from an adjacent part of the can wall 27. The opener 5 can then be swung in the opposite direction or counterclockwise as seen in Figure 3 for readily disengaging it from the can top 28.

After removal of the opener 5, the opening 30 will form a vent opening and the opening 32 formed by the cutting and bending down of the can portion 31 will provide a substantially triangular shaped pouring opening corresponding in shape to the cross sectional shape of the cutting member 8, adjacent to but spaced slightly from its base 19. The apex of this triangular shaped pouring opening 32 will be disposed adjacent a part of the rim portion 29 and said pouring opening 32 will increase in width in a direction away from said adjacent rim portion. Accordingly, by tilting the can to the left or clockwise as seen in Figure 3, assuming that the can contains a liquid or iluent material, not shown, the contents of the can can be poured readily through said pouring opening 32 and while the can vis vented through the opening 30. It will also be apparent that the narrow outer portion of the pouring opening 32 will enable the can contents to be poured as slowly as desired in a narrow or thin stream over the adjacent rim portion 29, similar to the pouring of a liquid or iluent material from a narrow pitcher spout and without gushing as usually occurs in` pouring from an end wall opening of a can which is wide adjacent the can rim and which diminishes in width away from the can rim and toward the center of the can.

Obviously, the piercing members 7 and 8 may be made in various sizes and may be spaced various distances apart for adapting the can opener 5 to cans of dierent capacities and of diierent cross sectional sizes, respectively.

Various other modilcations and changes are contemplated and may obviously be resorted to, without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as hereinafter defined by the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

l. A can opener comprising an elongated bar having a substantially at straight portion provided with an underside, a pair of can piercing members, means securing said piercing members immovably to said bar portion, said piercing members projecting from the underside of said bar portion, one of said piercing members comprising a prong having a tapered outer portion curved in a direction away from the other second piercing member and terminating in a piercing point adapted to penetrate an end wall of a can, said second piercing member being substantially triangular shaped in cross section and tapering longitudinally away from said straight bar portion, said second piercing member having complementary side edges disposed in laterally spaced relation to one another and relative to the longitudinal axis of said bar, said side edges constituting cutting edges and being disposed in outwardly converging relation to one another and merging at their outer ends to form a piercing point, the can opener being connected to the can end Wall by the tapered curved end of the piercing prong whereby the can opener is swingable relatively tothe can top wall for swinging movement of the second piercing member downwardly and toward the can top wall for penetrating and cutting a pouring opening in the can top wall remote from the vent opening formed by the piercing prong.

2. A can opener as in claim l, said complementary side cutting edges being inclined outwardly from said flat bar portion in a direction away from the piercing prong.

3. A 'can opener as in claim 2, said second piercing member having a recessed inner side disposed between said sharpened side edges, said recessed inner side being bowed transversely and longitudinally of said second piercing member for bending a V-shaped top portion of the can, formed by a V-shaped cut made by said side edges, downwardly and inwardly as said second piercing member is displaced downwardly through the can top to form a substantially V-shaped pouring opening having an apex disposed remote from said piercing prong.

4. A can opener as in claim 3, said second piercing member having outer side walls converging away from the piercing prong and forming an outer substantially straight cutting edge defined by converging edges of said outer walls, said outer cutting edge being disposed substantially perpendicular to said dat bar portion and converging and merging with said side cutting edges at the piercing point of said second piercing member.

5. A can opener as in claim 1, said bar having a downwardly inclined portion disposed beyond and adjacent the piercing prong and toward which the curved end of said piercing prong extends, said inclined portion being adapted to engage the outer side of a part of the rim of the top wall for guiding the piercing prong during its initial penetration of the top wall of the can.

6. A can opener as in claim 5, said bar having a looped end forming a handle disposed remote from the piercing prong and adjacent said second piercing member.

No references cited. 

